Interactive Scenario Game and Teaching Tool

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an educational tool that teaches self-control and anger management skills during an argument. The game comprises at least two players, at least one deck of cards and a lip cover for each player involved in the game. A card is drawn between two players, wherein the card includes a scenario in which a confrontation may ensue or one that may draw an emotional response during discussion. The two players act out the scenario and discuss a resolution, while all other players monitor the discussion. If one of the other players believes the conversation is becoming too emotional or out of control, that player may initiate the lip covers for all players, allowing time for each player to think without speaking to regain self-control. This game may be used as a confrontation or human resources teaching tool, or a therapy tool for families to discuss topics while learning self-control.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/545,843 filed on Oct. 11, 2011, entitled “Lip Clip.” The patentapplication identified above is incorporated here by reference in itsentirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an anger management tool and roleplaying game that teaches self control during confrontations for thepurposes of reaching a conclusion that does not result in damage orfurther animosity between the parties involved. More specifically, thepresent invention pertains to a role playing game having a set ofscenarios that are acted out and a means for preventing outbursts orfurther vocalization of thoughts, providing for thought gathering andemotional control during an argument, wherein the game is useful forhuman resources purposes, confrontation management and improving one'spersonnel or social management skills.

Passionate and heated conversations can quickly develop between two ormore parties with differing views, values and philosophical ideals.Staunch advocacy for a particular opinion or thought is a healthy andvery useful in many scenarios, however discussions involving heavilyentrenched or opinionated parties can quickly transcend from adiscussion and into a personal or overly emotional confrontation if theparties involved do not control their emotions and manage theircommunication appropriately. Typically, this devolving intoargumentative and personal confrontation can lead to a standoff orstall-mate between parties, with an outcome that is probably notdesirable for either party involved. One or both sides of the argumentmay draw a “line in the sand” that neither is willing to back down fromor relinquish, or further one of the parties may have offended the otherand caused detriment to the entire discussion process.

Severely emotional and personal arguments can to escalate to the pointof damaging one's feelings. In the case of extreme arguments,relationships can become strained and some may dissolve entirely as aresult. Most people are generally not accustomed to rationally workingthrough an argument or confrontation, and resort to personal attacks oremotional outbursts that accomplish only hurtful or damaging results. Inorder to achieve a beneficial outcome, it is generally accepted thatremoval of one's emotions or control thereover is paramount to reachinga successful conclusion to a confrontation without lasting damage to theunderlying relationship. However, in the heat of an argument and whilepressured by outside influences, it can be difficult to remain calm andfind this beneficial conclusion. Resorting to hurtful language oroutbursts is an easy way to vent frustration and to limit conversationto one party or another. This is common in many types of confrontations,some examples including those in the workplace between colleagues,between family members or friends, or even during a negotiation betweendiffering parties.

The present invention pertains to an educational and player interactivegame that presents several scenarios in which two parties must act outthe elements of the scenario and reach a conclusion therefor. It isdesired to provide this game as a means of improving one's socialinteraction and communication skills, while also providing a teachingtool for educational institutions, commercial human resource departmentsand for use in the home within a family. The game provides a pluralityof situations that may be tailored to a particular setting or industry,while the game is acted out with the purpose of reaching a rationalconclusion and without emotional outbursts. A set of lip covers areprovided that allow the parties to be silenced if the conversationbecomes too heated or overly emotional, teaching the users impulsecontrol, thought development and listening skills in the process. Theinvention further allows individuals to learn how to broach certainsensitive subjects or maneuver through difficult scenarios involvingfriends, family, co-workers or adversarial opponents.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to situationalgame board devices. These include devices that have been patented andpublished in patent application publications, and generally relate toeducational tools for young children or situational discussion games.The forgoing is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the presentdisclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlightingand differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, andfurther highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.

Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,792 to Esposito discloses a method ofplaying a game that requires players to interactively communicate andprovide an analysis of a hypothetical situation. Based on the analysisof the situation, the players not generating the analysis score thereasoning of the analysis and assign a score base on the evaluation. Agame board is provided having a start and finish point defined by a pathhaving categories defined thereon. When a player lands on a specificportion of the path, a defined category of scenarios is drawn from adeck of cards associated with that category for analysis. The analysismust be based on predetermined principles relating to the scenario,whereby scores may be given to the analysis based on the actions takenbased on the situation and the underlying principles. The Esposito game,while providing a game that includes interactive communication andanalysis of scenario, is not provided to improve confrontationmanagement skills or emotional control during a disagreement. Thepresent invention is designed as a tool to allow one to collect theirthoughts and learn to control emotions during a heated conversation,teaching control and improved negotiating skills.

Another device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,565 to Benaderet, which disclosesa board game related to stress, wherein a game board is provided withgame pieces, a rolling die and a plurality of situation cards havingcategories of stressful and cheerful situations describing an actionrequired of the player. Certificates representing the number of years ina player's life are provided, with stressful cards removing years andanti-stress cards adding years thereto. The players navigate through theboard from the starting point to the ending point, which is designed tobe a stress-free end of journey mark at the center of the board, whereinthe players encounter stressful or cheerful situations along the way.Similar to the Esposito game, the Benaderet game is one that does notteach improved negotiating or confrontational skills, but rather is awhimsical game related to stress and a journey through life, whereinstress and cheer is accumulated during the journey.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,028 to Boyer discloses an interactive game thatprovides critical thinking, character and value development. A playingsurface and deck of playing cards is provided having value categories ofplay. Game pieces are provided for advancing through the playingsurface, wherein the playing cards are drawn for a participant todiscuss or analyze for a predetermined length of time the topic providedon the card. The player is allowed to provide an answer or solution tothe problem presented, allowing the player to develop critical thinkingskills and situational thinking. The present invention is related tomore aggressive confrontations that require players to select theirwords carefully, while other players are permitted to silence onparticipant in a conversation for internalizing their emotions andforming more constructive arguments. The Boyer device is one that isdirected to critical thinking and value development amongst players.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,919 to Cain discloses a game for elementary schoolchildren, wherein a board is provided with a defined pathway dividedinto a plurality of segments, along with a deck of cards to be drawnhaving a problem situation and a plurality of selectable alternativesolutions therefor. The game is designed to teach values to youngerplayers, including selecting the most appropriate responses to difficultor troubling scenarios. The selectable responses are split intocategories of good, neutral and bad, whereby the player is able toadvance, remain stationary or move backward on the game board based ontheir response, respectively. The scenarios are designed to be fittingfor those that a younger person may encounter, including socialsituations calling on values from the individual to choose the correctpath or response. Similar to the aforementioned devices and games, theCain device is one that is devoted to instilling and teaching values,rather than teaching one to appropriately communicate and persuadewithout great emotional outbursts, as is taught through the presentinvention.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,652 to Ruff discloses a board game that isadapted for use by parents and children together as a learning tool forthe children, wherein game pieces are advanced along the board using arolling die and question cards that are drawn based on the game pieceposition. The questions include educational queries that age appropriateto the child, wherein general knowledge is tested for a specific ageset, including shapes, colors and other educational questions. The cardscan be provided in blank form to allow new questions to be writtenthereon, updating the game play and updating the sophistication level ofthe game over time and as the child ages. The Ruff device, whileproviding a question and answer educational game having a game board,does not disclose emotional control and confrontation managementdevelopment using a game board as a means to educate users. The Ruffdevice includes a board and questions on game cards, but is directed tochild education.

The present invention provides an educational tool for the purpose ofteaching impulse control, confrontation management and emotionaloutburst restraint during an argument, confrontation or negotiation. Itis desired that the game be utilized commercially and in the home forteaching users to deal with difficult scenarios, which can otherwiseresult in relationship damage or hinder professional advancement. It issubmitted that the present invention substantially diverges in designelements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there isa need in the art for an improvement to existing confrontation andemotion control teaching tools. In this regard the instant inventionsubstantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofconfrontation teaching tool now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides a new interactive scenario game wherein the same canbe utilized for providing convenience for the user when learning impulseand emotional control during arguments, discussion or confrontations.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved interactive scenario game device that has all of the advantagesof the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an interactivescenario game that includes a deck of cards that describe differentscenarios that must be acted out by two or more players, the scenariosdescribing conflicts, confrontations, opposing positions, negotiationsor other similar situation in which two or more parties are opposed toone another and must actively communicate to find resolution.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interactivescenario game that teaches emotional control, appropriate communicationand pragmatic approaches to conflicts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interactivescenario game that can be utilized by families, in business and worksettings, for teaching negotiation skills and other situations in whichconfrontation management and communication skills are required.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an interactivescenario game that includes a plurality of lip covers that can beclipped or otherwise attached to each player's lips in order to silencethe player, providing a momentary break in the role playing to allowthough gathering before proceeding.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a view of the present interactive scenario game beingplayed by four players.

FIG. 2 illustrates the scenario cards drawn during game play todetermine the type of situation in which two or more players must actout.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the lip cover of thepresent interactive scenario game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the interactive scenario game. For the purposes ofpresenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, thepreferred embodiment will be discussed as used for teachingconfrontation management and communication skills. The figures areintended for representative purposes only and should not be consideredto be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a pictorial view of the presentinteractive scenario game of the present invention in use by severalplayers, wherein at least one deck of cards 11 is provided, along with alip cover 12 for each player and at least two players 13 are present tointeract with one another and act out a series of scenarios that arewritten on the cards. The game is one in which a card 11 is drawn from afirst deck of cards and read aloud. The card includes a scenario thatmust be acted out between two players, with each player taking a side inthe scenario. The scenarios are designed to include contentious topics,common confrontational situations, misunderstanding between parties,negotiations or similar situations in which tension is elevated andincreased self control and awareness is required to calmly execute thescenario without outbursts or escalating the conversation to one thatdoes not readily allows itself to be easily remedied. If, during thecourse of the acted out scenario, the two parties begin to escalatetheir discussion beyond normal discourse, one of the players may pausethe conversation by initiating a lip cover 12 over all players involved.This is done by announcing “Lip Clip” or similar catch phrase, wherein amouth cover is placed over the players' mouths to restrict theirspeaking.

During this period of silence, players are able to regain theirthoughts, strategies and think from a different perspective than that ofa few minutes past, wherein the parties were not achieving constructiveinteractions or conversations. The game cards 11 may include aresolution point or a particular solution that is acceptable, or providea goal for which the parties are to meet or agree on. This goal may behidden from the players 13 involved, such that their interaction hasmeaning toward what they think is right and what the adequate solutionmay be. The situations and conclusions may include a dispute betweenparents and children, wherein the resolution is meaningful, constructiveand caring guidance given by the parent and respectful, obedient andmature responses from the child player. Once a resolution is found, thenext card may be drawn between the next two players involved. Thesescenarios may serve as a pure learning and values-instilling exercise,or further a scoring system or game board may be included for furthergroup enjoyment and for providing a motivation for continued success inthe game.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a view illustrating the deck ofcards 11 and a player drawing 13 a card containing an example scenarioin which at least two players must act out the situation and find acommon resolution while showing restraint and proper communicationskills. As an example scenario, the card may read of the situation inwhich a son comes home late with the family car and his father is at thedoor to meet him. One player can act as the son, while the other playeracts as the dad. These players then play out the scenario, with the goalof the father to be to reprimand the son and change his behavior toprevent his continual tardiness with regard to curfew. On the otherhand, the son may have a goal to extend his privileges or to talk to thefather about a particular subject. The two parties having differingviewpoints and goals provides an adversarial situation in which mutualground must be found or a resolution must be agreed upon. During theconversation, each party must show self control over his emotions andcommunicate appropriately. As they begin their dialogue, they are theonly players allowed to speak and converse; however if anyone feels thatone of the players is getting angry or out of control, that player caninitiate the lip covers for everyone to put on their mouth guard-likedevice that clips or otherwise attaches to their mouths for a 30 to 60second time interval, giving the role players a chance to think beforethey speak in anger and prevent them from saying something hurtful thatthey may regret. The goal is to provide a discussion and confrontationtool that allows users to think before they speak and also restrainthemselves from outbursts of emotion or hurtful language that is nothelpful to the given situation. The scenarios on the cards 11 may bedirected to a specific set of topics that are targeted to a specificaudience (for instance: domestic arguments, conflicts within theworkplace, common negotiations for a given industry, etc.), or further aset of blank cards may also be provided to allow the user's to tailorthe game to their needs or desired situations.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown perspective view of the scenariogame lip cover 12 of the present invention. The lip cover is a devicethat is adapted to cover a user's mouth region to prevent the playerfrom speaking, while also providing an outward decorative appearancethat is comical or entertaining, interjecting comic relief into anotherwise tense situation or game scenario between players. The coversthemselves comprise an outward lip adornment 14 in the shape of lips ora caricature thereof, including different styles, sizes and accessoriessuch as mustaches and other adornments. The backside of the lip coveradornment is a lip attachment means 15, which comprises a means toattach the lip cover to the user's face or lips without requiring theuser to hold the device in place. Preferably, this attachment meanscomprises a pair of clips that gently pinch the user's exterior lips,closing the user's mouth and supporting the outward lip adornment 14 ina stable position on the user's face. The lip clips can be offered inseveral different designs, include pink puckered lips, big red lips,mustached lips, accentuated front teeth, and so on. The goal is toprevent players from speaking while offering a comical or humorous meansof accomplishing this task.

Passionate and heated discussions can easily become arguments if anindividual feels that the other person in the discussion is beingdisrespectful. This can cause the argument to escalate to the point ofhurting people's feelings. In the case of extreme arguments,relationships can become strained and can cause some relationships todissolve entirely. Generally, people know that they need to practiceself-control and respect toward others, but this can be difficult in theheat of the moment and during intense confrontation involving entrenchedparties. The present invention provides a teaching tool and game thatteaches people how to respect others during certain scenarios in whichinvolve conflict and where individuals become easily argumentative. Thegame is one in which players draw scenario cards and act out thescenarios printed thereon. The goal of the game can be to respectfullywork out the situation through positive dialogue. If this isn't beingachieved, then players can put on their lip covers, which can preventthem from speaking, such that they can gather their thoughts and thinkbefore they speak. The game may be a purely educational or valueteaching exercise in the workplace, a therapy tool or further anenjoyable family game. Scoring may be provided through a set ofacceptable resolutions or subjective scoring, and further a game boardor score sheet may be included as desired in conjunction with the stepsof acting out scenarios between individuals with the ability to silenceall parties during heated debates. It is desired that the presentinvention be provided for all ages and for various situations, includingdomestic, workplace and in educational environments.

As an extension from the game and after learning its principles, the lipcovers can be placed in the meeting areas (kitchens or meeting rooms,for example), and then everyone involved in a situation or discussioncan work together to find an agreeable solution to a given problem. In adomestic setting, for example, a father cannot say blindly assert hisauthority without input from others and without careful consideration ofhis decisions. Therefore, as possible volatile situations occur in dailylife and anger rises, anyone can say to another co-worker or familymember “Lip Clip” or similar catch phrase for initiating the lip covers,and the group can quiet and either put on their lip cover for a shortinterval, or further cease to speak out as if the cover was installed.This avoids hurtful words or even physical violence, and provides ahealthy means for monitoring everyone's communication. The game providesa teaching tool and an extension to control interactions and preventharmful language or actions.

It is submitted that the instant invention has been shown and describedin what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) An interactive scenario game, comprising: a set of cardshaving scenarios thereon, said scenarios comprising a confrontation,negotiation or conflict between two or more parties; at least twoplayers to act out a scenario from a drawn card; a lip cover for eachplayer, said lip cover having a lip connection means for preventing saidplayers from speaking when applied over a period of time for thoughtgathering and emotional control. 2) The device of claim 1, wherein saidscenario cards further comprise an acceptable resolution thereon forallowing said parties to end said scenario and judge each other'sactions. 3) The device of claim 2, wherein said judging furthercomprises a scoring system based on each player's actions, communicationand scenario outcome. 4) The device of claim 1, wherein said playersinitiate said clip cover when said players acting out said scenario aredeemed emotionally out of control or off topic. 5) The device of claim1, wherein said scenario cards comprise an overall topic targeted to aspecific audience, industry or topic set. 6) The device of claim 1,wherein said scenario cards comprise open space for said players todefine a scenario of their own. 7) The device of claim 1, wherein saidlip covers comprises a frontal lip adornment and a mouth attachmentmeans behind said lip adornment. 8) The device of claim 7, wherein saidlip adornment further comprises the shape of lips or caricature thereoffor comic relief when applied. 9) A method of teaching emotional controland effective communication during conflicts through an interactivescenario game, comprising the steps of: providing a set of cards havinga scenario that includes a confrontation, negotiation or conflictbetween two or more parties thereon; acting out said scenario between atleast two players; utilizing a lip cover that prevents said players fromspeaking for regulating emotional outbursts during said scenario forthought gathering and emotional control purposes. 10) The method ofclaim 9, further comprising the steps of: acting out said scenario untilan acceptable resolution is found between said parties, said cardshaving an acceptable resolution thereon. 11) The method of claim 9,further comprising the steps of: judging said players and scoring aresolution between said players based on each player's actions,communication and scenario outcome. 12) The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the steps of: initiating said clip cover when said playersacting out said scenario are deemed emotionally out of control or offtopic. 13) The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:targeting said scenario cards based on an overall topic targeted to aspecific audience, industry or topic set. 14) The method of claim 9,further comprising the steps of: providing blank cards for said playersto define a scenario of their own. 15) The method of claim 9, furthercomprising the steps of: providing said lip covers having a frontal lipadornment providing comic relief to said players once applied and amouth attachment means behind said lip adornment.